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Dr. Rita Gardiner, PhD
Associate Professor - Critical Policy, Equity and Leadership Studies
PhD (University of Western Ontario)
Dr. Rita Gardiner, PhD
Associate Professor - Critical Policy, Equity and Leadership Studies
PhD (University of Western Ontario)
Dr. Rita A. Gardiner is an Associate Professor in Critical Policy, Equity, and Leadership Studies. Her research explores leadership and organizational culture through different lenses. These lenses include feminist theory, intersectionality, and phenomenological inquiry. An Arendtian scholar, Dr. Gardiner seeks to rethink leadership in a manner that does not advocate for prescriptive models. Rather her research explores leadership as an affective, embodied, and relational experience.
Research
EXTERNAL RESEARCH FUNDING
| Project title | Project period: | Funding agency | Type of support requested | Funds received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Translating policies into practices: Tracing the embodied affects and institutional effects of Ontario’s sexual violence policies on two university campuses. | 2018-2020 | SSHRC | Principal Investigator | $60,000 |
| Hannah Arendt and the family | 2018-2020 | SSHRC | Co-Investigator (PI – Dr. K. Fulfer, University of Waterloo.) | $49,618 |
In The News
Recent Publications
Book (single-authored)
Gardiner, R. (2015). Gender, Authenticity & Leadership: Thinking with Arendt. London & New York: Palgrave MacMillan.
Books Chapters (single-authored)
Gardiner, R. (April, 2020). How do leaders judge what is a responsible course of action? (pp. 125-138). In Ladkin, D., (Ed.), Rethinking leadership, 2nd edition. Cheltenham, UK & Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar.
Gardiner, R. (March, 2020). Caring leadership as collective responsibility. In Tomkins, L., (Ed.), Paradoxes of leadership and care: critical and philosophical reflections (pp. 175-186). Cheltenham, UK & Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar.
Gardiner, R. (2017). Leadership-in-the-world through an Arendtian lens. In Fielding, H A. & Olkowski, D. E. (Eds.), Feminist Phenomenology Futures (pp. 292-313). Blomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press.
Gardiner, R. (2016.) Wynne some, lose some: An intersectional approach to media prejudice against Canadian women politicians. In Eliott, C., Stead, V., Mavin, S., & Williams, J. (Eds.) Gender, media, and organization: Challenging mis(s)representations of women leaders and managers (pp. 153-166). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Gardiner, R. (2014). Women leaders, authenticity, and higher education: Convictions and contradictions. In Madsen, S & Longman, K. (Eds.), Women and leadership in higher education (pp. 153-169). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Gardiner, R. (2013). Hannah Arendt, authenticity and uniqueness. In Ladkin, D. & Spiller, C. (Eds.), Authentic leadership: Concepts, coalescences and clashes (pp. 65-9) . Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Book Chapters (multiple authors)
Gardiner, R. A., Fox-Kirk, W., Elliott, C. J., & Stead, V. (2024). Genderwashing in Leadership-Power, Policies and Politics. Emerald Publishing.
Gardiner, R., Chisholm, J., & H. Finn (Forthcoming). Translating gender-based sexual violence policies into practice: Mapping ruling relations through institutional ethnography. Invited submission. In Stead, V., Elliott, C. & Mavin, S. (Eds.) Handbook of research methods on gender and management. Cheltenham, UK & Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar.
Wambura Ngunjiri, F. & Gardiner, R. (2017). Future Strategies for Developing Women as Leaders. In Madsen, S. (Ed.), Handbook of Women and Leadership, (pp. 423-438). Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Wambura Ngunjiri, F., Jennifer M. Almquist, J. A., Beebe, M., Elbert, C.D., Gardiner, R. A. & Shockness. M. (2017). Intersectional Leadership Praxis: Unpacking the Experiences of Women Leaders at the Nexus of Roles and Identities (pp. 249-265). In J. Stornberg-Walker & P. Walker-Curran, (Eds.), Theorizing Women & Leadership: New Insights & Contributions from Multiple Perspectives. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Refereed Articles and Essays (single-authored)
Gardiner, R. A. (2019). Taste and Organization Studies. Organization Studies, 40(10), 1543–1555.
Gardiner, R. (June, 2018). Hannah and her sisters: Theorizing gender and leadership through the lens of feminist phenomenology. Leadership, 14 (3), 291-306. DOI:10.1177/1742715017729940
Gardiner, R. (Jan, 2018). Ethical Responsibility - An Arendtian turn in leadership ethics. Business Ethics Quarterly, 28(1): 31-50.
Gardiner, R. (Nov. 2017). Authentic leadership through an ethical prism. In Gardiner, R. & Stornberg-Walker (Eds.) Authentic Leadership in HRD: Context and Identity Matter! Critical Explorations on Leading Authentically. ADHR (Advancing Development in Human Resources. 19(4): 467-477. DOI: 10/.1177/1523422317728941
Gardiner, R. (Oct. 2016). Lasting impressions: Hannah Arendt's educational legacy. Journal of Educational Administration & History, 48(4), 309-323. DOI: 10.1080/00220620.2016.1210585
Gardiner, R. (2016). Commentary - Gender, authenticity and leadership: Thinking with Arendt. Invited submission. Leadership, 1-6. DOI: 10.1177/1742715015583623
Gardiner, R. (2015). Telling tales out of school. A relational approach to authentic leadership. Invited submission. Values and Ethics in Educational Administration, 8(4), 1-8.
Refereed Articles (joint publications)
Gardiner, R., Fox-Kirk, W., Fine, L. & Wambura Ngunjiri, F. (Forthcoming). Leadership in an Age of #MeToo: Global Perspectives, Gender and Management: An International Journal.
Gardiner, R., Shockness, M., Almquist, J., & Finn, H. (2019). Politics versus policies: Fourth wave feminist critiques of higher education’s response to sexual violence. Journal of Women and Leadership in Higher Education, 12(3): 319-336.
Fulfer, K. & Gardiner, R. (Oct, 2019). Refugee Resettlement, Rootlessness, and Assimilation, Arendt Studies, 3, 25-47.
Finn, H., Gardiner, R. & Bruijns, L. (2018). Winning at all cost: Gender, sport and violence. Gender Forum, 70, 26-39.
Gardiner, R. & Fulfer, K. (2017). Family Matters: An Arendtian critique of organizational structures. Gender, work and organization, 24(5), 506-518.
Stornberg-Walker, J. & Gardiner, R. (Nov. 2017). Introduction. In Gardiner, R. & Stornberg-Walker (Eds.) Authentic Leadership in HRD: Context and Identity Matter! Critical Explorations on Leading Authentically. ADHR (Advancing Development in Human Resources.)
Editor - Special Issue Refereed Journal
Gardiner, R. & Stornberg-Walker, J. (Eds.) (Nov. 2017). Authentic Leadership in HRD: Context and Identity Matter! Critical Explorations on Leading Authentically. ADHR (Advancing Development in Human Resources.)
Book Reviews
(March, 2014). Gosling, J. & Villiers, P., (Eds.) Fictional leaders: Heroes, villains and absent friends. Journal of Leadership and the Humanities, 2, 83-85.
Refereed Conference Presentations
Fulfer, K. & R. Gardiner, R. (March 7, 2020). “Family Matters?: Rethinking the political with Arendt and Luxemburg. The Centre for Advanced Research in European Philosophy, King’s University College at Western University, London, Ontario.
Gardiner, R. (Oct. 26, 2019). The courage to be a little hero. Panel presentation, ILA Leadership conference, Ottawa, Ontario.
Gardiner, R., Finn, H. & Hartman, E. (Oct. 15m 2019). Panel presentation, Youth leadership, ILA Leadership conference, Ottawa, Ontario.
Gardiner, R., Elliott, C. & Steadman, V. (June 2019). A gendered view of power and decision-making: The role of narratives and discourses, ILA 4th Women and Leadership Conference, Scotts Valley, California.
Gardiner, R., Finn, H. & Hartman, E. (June 2019). Growing girl’s leadership: Addressing the underrepresentation of diverse girls in STEM and Sport. Representation through programs, ILA 4th Women and Leadership Conference, Scotts Valley, California.
Gardiner, R. (June 2019). Taking charge or losing control? Actors, organizations, and the web of relations. Panel presentation on Thomas Greenfield’s The Man who comes back through the Door in the Wall, CSSE, Congress 2019, UBC, Vancouver.
Gardiner, R. (May 2019). Power politics: Hannah Arendt, leadership, and mastery. 4th Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Leadership Symposium: Leadership, power, and politics, Corfu, Greece.
Viczko, M., McKechnie, S., Gardiner, R., & Finn, H. (April, 2019). Sexual violence: A critical policy analysis, AERA Presidential Stream, Toronto.
Gardiner, R. (Oct, 2018). Panel organizer and presenter, Leadership in an Age of #MeToo, International Leadership Association (ILA), West Palm Beach, Florida.
Gardiner, R. (Oct, 2018). Oil and Water: Comparing three authentic leadership theories by analysing researchers’ approaches to inquiry, International Leadership Association (ILA), West Palm Beach, Florida.
Gardiner, R. & Finn, H. (Oct. 2018). Whose authenticity matters: Gender politics and organizational policies in higher education, Real Conversations: Leadership and organizational violence. International Leadership Association (ILA), West Palm Beach, Florida.
Stead, V., Elliott, C., & Gardiner R. (July, 2018). Multimodal methods as a critical tool to evaluate the mobilization of gender in the media, EGOS colloquium, Tallinn, Estonia.
Gardiner, R. (March, 2018). An Arendtian exploration of refugee crises, Organising for Resilience, LAEMOS (Latin American and European Organization Studies) Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Gardiner, R. (May, 2017). 12 th On fads, foods, and freedom, “Food Organizing Matters: Paradoxes, Problems and Potentialities.” Organization Studies Workshop, (organized under the auspices of Sage Publications).
Gardiner, R. & Fulfer, K. (March, 2017). Family Matters: An Arendtian critique of family as an organizational structure, Organizing Equality, London, Ontario.
Gardiner, R. (Nov 2016). Authentic leadership. International Leadership Association, Atlanta, Georgia.
Gardiner, R. (Oct 2016.) Leadership in uncertain times: Complex dilemmas and ethical possibilities. Values and Leadership Conference, London, Ontario.
Gardiner, R. (May, 20, 2016). Through a Narrative Lens: Reflections on Arendtian narrative and authentic leadership. 11th Organization Studies Workshop - Spirituality, Symbolism and Storytelling, Mykonos, Greece.
Fulfer, K. & R. Gardiner (Feb 27, 2016). Rights, Responsibilities and Rootlessness: The Doom of Refugee Status. Third Annual Wilson College Humanities Conference, Wilson College, Chambersburg, PA.
Gardiner, R. (Oct. 2015). Women's political representation in the media: A tale of two Canadian leaders. International Leadership Association conference, Barcelona, Spain.
Gardiner, R. Beebe, M. & C. D. Elbert (Oct. 2015). Navigating leadership at the intersections of borders and generations: A collaborative autoethnography, International Leadership Association conference, Barcelona, Spain.
Gardiner, R. (June, 2015). Hannah Arendt, narrative and authentic leadership. Presentation at the Women and leadership conference, International Leadership Association, Asilomar, California.
Almquist, J. M. Beebe, M., Elbert, C. D. & R. Gardiner. (June, 2015). Presentation on intersectionality and leadership: A collaborative ethnography. Women and leadership conference, International Leadership Association, Asilomar, CA.
Gardiner, R. (Nov. 2014). Authentic leadership, gender and care. Presentation at the International Leadership Association conference, San Diego, CA.
Gardiner, R. (Sept. 2014). Hannah Arendt and authentic leadership. Presentation at the Annual Values and Leadership Conference Consortium for Ethical Leadership in Education, Muskoka, ON.
Gardiner, R. & S. Vendette. (Aug. 2014). Philosophical approaches to authentic leadership. Presentation at symposium on authentic leadership, Academy of Management, Philadelphia, PA.
Gardiner, R. (Nov. 2013). Resilience reloaded: New ways of thinking about leadership and the strength of the human spirit. Panel organizer and presenter at the International Leadership Association Annual Conference, Montreal, QB.
Gardiner, R. (June, 2013). Telling tales out of school: Gender, leadership and authenticity. Presentation at the International Leadership Association Conference on Women and Leadership, Asilomar, CA.
Gardiner, R. ( May, 2013). Hannah Arendt’s concept of uniqueness and the discourse of authentic leadership. Presentation at the International Feminist Phenomenology Conference, Western University, London, ON.
Fulfer, K. & Gardiner, R. (April, 2013). A phenomenology of political indifference and family values. Presentation at the Graduate Phenomenology Conference, Department of Philosophy, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON.
Gardiner, R. (Oct. 2012). Gender and the great divide: The leader, the role and the wardrobe. International Leadership Association Annual Conference, Denver, CO.
Gardiner, R. (Feb. 2012). An Arendtian investigation into the discourse of authentic leadership. Presentation at the Indiana University’s Tobias Leadership Conference, Colorado Springs, CO.
Gardiner, R. (Sept. 2011). Hannah Arendt and authentic leadership. Presentation at The Sixteenth Annual Values and Leadership Conference, Victoria, BC.
Gardiner, R. (June, 2011). The curious case of mistaken identity: An Arendtian investigation into authentic leadership . Presentation at the Society for Existential, Phenomenology and Theory in Canada, Congress 2011, The University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB.
Gardiner, R. (May, 2008). Leadership and alumnae relations. Presentation at the Women’s Education Worldwide Conference, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Invitation - Talks and Think Thanks
May 27, 2020. Arendt and Me: On gender, leadership, and fashion. Invited talk, Academy of Gender and Leadership, Lancaster University, (UK). [Online seminar.]
July 2016. Think tank on women and leadership. One of 25 international scholars invited to discuss theory-building in women and leadership, hosted by George Washington University, Washington, DC.
Gardiner, R. (2016, April). Authentic engagement in the workplace. City of Mississauga Leadership Seminar, Mississauga, ON.
Gardiner, R. (2016, Feb). Leadership dreams and ethical realities. Presentation in colloquium series, Hood College, MD
Gardiner, R. (2012, May). Hannah Arendt and authentic leadership. Presentation at the Centre for Leadership Studies, The University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon.
Gardiner, R. (2011, Oct). Authentic leadership: Does gender matter? Presentation at the Institute for Women and Leadership, Brescia University College, London, ON.
